Emily L Howell
Biographic Data
| ID | 4257853 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Emily L Howell |
| GIVEN NAMES | Emily L |
| FAMILY NAME | Howell |
| SIGNATURE | HOWELL E L |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Wisconsin–Madison |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-6021-0235 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 20 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 15 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Forming Relationships With Scientists Through Film
Drawing on open-ended responses from a national U.S. survey ( N = 630) of viewers of Observer , a documentary film featuring scientists engaged in practices of observation, we examine how audiences explained trust, identification, and perceived value alignment with the film’s characters, most of whom were explicitly identified as scientists. Participants most often cited relational and affective qualities—curiosity, authenticity, attentiveness, a…
Measuring Science Literacy in a Digital World
We present a new multilingual 14-item scale for measuring science literacy in survey and experimental research. The scale captures three essential dimensions of science literacy in a digital world: civic science literacy, science media literacy, and cognitive science literacy. We developed, tested, and validated the scale through two preregistered national quota surveys in Switzerland and the United States in four languages (English, German, Fren…
Escaping Inequity
In this design‐based research study, in‐service educators participated in a grant‐funded professional development (PD) project to increase district capacity for multilingual learner instruction. Initial data indicated teacher comfort with technology but difficulty tailoring it to the unique multiliterate practices of culturally and linguistically diverse students. Based on teachers' needs and a departmental goal, a modification of a digital escap…
Examining subjective leisure experiences and well-being amongst university students during Covid-19
There are many claims in scholarship about the associations between leisure and well-being. However, empirical research is needed to disentangle various conceptualizations and operationalizations of the concepts. This study tested nuanced associations between various indicators of leisure and well-being among a sample of emerging adults (n = 2,537). This study occurred early during the COVID-19 pandemic and indicators accounted for the context of…
Storytelling in Science Film
To explore narrative engagement’s impacts on science communication, we examine a representative sample of U.S. adults randomly assigned to watch one of the four short documentary science films. Our results indicate that narrative engagement—feeling connected to the story world and identifying with characters—predicts a wide range of outcomes relevant to engagement and learning: greater knowledge gain and perceived knowledge and interest, perceivi…
Examining expertise
Scientific experts can play an important role in decision-making surrounding policy for technical and value-laden issues, often in contexts that directly affect lay publics. Yet little is known about what characterizes scientific experts who want lay public involvement in decision-making. In this study, we examine how synthetic biology experts’ perceptions of risks, benefits, and ambivalence for synthetic biology relate to views of lay publics, d…
Media Systems and Attention Cycles
We examined initial newspaper coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak (January–May 2020) in the United States and China, countries with contrasting media systems and pandemic experiences. We join the context-rich media systems literature and the longitudinal nature of the issue-attention literature to expand each by providing more system-level context for explaining how media cover an issue over time. U.S. coverage peaked later and stayed consistently …
Polarized platforms? How partisanship shapes perceptions of “algorithmic news bias”
The use of artificial intelligence-based algorithms for the curation of news content by social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter has upended the gatekeeping role long held by traditional news outlets. This has caused some US policymakers to argue that platforms are skewing news diets against them, and such claims are beginning to take hold among some voters. In a nationally representative survey experiment, we explore whether traditional …
Deference and decision-making in science and society
Deference to scientific authority theoretically captures the belief that scientists and not publics should make decisions on science in society. Few studies examine deference, however, and none test this central theoretical claim. The result is deference is often conflated with concepts such as trust in scientists and belief in the authority of science. This study examines two claims key to conceptualizing deference: that deference (1) predicts a…
Enhanced threat or therapeutic benefit? Risk and benefit perceptions of human gene editing by purpose and heritability of edits
Public discourse and deliberation are key to developing socially responsible and acceptable human gene editing research and applications. Researchers have raised concerns, however, that discourse about heritable gene edits, especially for non-therapeutic (or enhancement) purposes, might negatively bias public opinion of applications, including non-heritable edits to cure or prevent disease. Yet limited research exists examining how information ab…
The state of GMOs on social media
This study analyzes the relationship between state-level variables and Twitter discourse on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Using geographically identified tweets related to GMOs, we examined how the sentiments expressed about GMOs related to education levels, news coverage, proportion of rural and urban counties, state-level political ideology, amount of GMO-related legislation introduced, and agricultural dependence of each U.S. state. S…
Distinguishing scientific knowledge
The impact of knowledge on public attitudes toward scientific issues remains unclear, due in part to ill-defined differences in how research designs conceptualize knowledge. Using genetically modified foods as a framework, we explore the impacts of perceived familiarity and factual knowledge, and the moderating roles of media attention and a food-specific attitudinal variable (food consciousness), in shaping these relationships. Based on the diff…
Seeing through risk-colored glasses
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report on genetically engineered crops influences public discourse
In May 2016, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released the report "Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects," summarizing scientific consensus on genetically engineered crops and their implications. NASEM reports aim to give the public and policymakers information on socially relevant science issues. Their impact, however, is not well understood. This analysis combines national pre- and post-rep…
Gender Equality in the Ivory Tower, and How Best to Achieve It
Both statistical and qualitative interview data confirm the on-going existence of gender inequality within American academia, with women both underrepresented and underpaid compared to their male counterparts. Surprisingly, what is needed to remedy this situation is not a secret. Most of the policies outlined in this article as good workable solutions are programs that have been tested and described in more than one study. Indeed, evidence sugges…
Polarized platforms? How partisanship shapes perceptions of “algorithmic news bias”
The use of artificial intelligence-based algorithms for the curation of news content by social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter has upended the gatekeeping role long held by traditional news outlets. This has caused some US policymakers to argue that platforms are skewing news diets against them, and such claims are beginning to take hold among some voters. In a nationally representative survey experiment, we explore whether traditional …
Gender Equality in the Ivory Tower, and How Best to Achieve It
Both statistical and qualitative interview data confirm the on-going existence of gender inequality within American academia, with women both underrepresented and underpaid compared to their male counterparts. Surprisingly, what is needed to remedy this situation is not a secret. Most of the policies outlined in this article as good workable solutions are programs that have been tested and described in more than one study. Indeed, evidence sugges…
Seeing through risk-colored glasses
Measuring Science Literacy in a Digital World
We present a new multilingual 14-item scale for measuring science literacy in survey and experimental research. The scale captures three essential dimensions of science literacy in a digital world: civic science literacy, science media literacy, and cognitive science literacy. We developed, tested, and validated the scale through two preregistered national quota surveys in Switzerland and the United States in four languages (English, German, Fren…
Enhanced threat or therapeutic benefit? Risk and benefit perceptions of human gene editing by purpose and heritability of edits
Public discourse and deliberation are key to developing socially responsible and acceptable human gene editing research and applications. Researchers have raised concerns, however, that discourse about heritable gene edits, especially for non-therapeutic (or enhancement) purposes, might negatively bias public opinion of applications, including non-heritable edits to cure or prevent disease. Yet limited research exists examining how information ab…
The state of GMOs on social media
This study analyzes the relationship between state-level variables and Twitter discourse on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Using geographically identified tweets related to GMOs, we examined how the sentiments expressed about GMOs related to education levels, news coverage, proportion of rural and urban counties, state-level political ideology, amount of GMO-related legislation introduced, and agricultural dependence of each U.S. state. S…
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report on genetically engineered crops influences public discourse
In May 2016, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released the report "Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects," summarizing scientific consensus on genetically engineered crops and their implications. NASEM reports aim to give the public and policymakers information on socially relevant science issues. Their impact, however, is not well understood. This analysis combines national pre- and post-rep…
Gender Equality in the Ivory Tower, and How Best to Achieve It
Both statistical and qualitative interview data confirm the on-going existence of gender inequality within American academia, with women both underrepresented and underpaid compared to their male counterparts. Surprisingly, what is needed to remedy this situation is not a secret. Most of the policies outlined in this article as good workable solutions are programs that have been tested and described in more than one study. Indeed, evidence sugges…
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine report on genetically engineered crops influences public discourse
In May 2016, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) released the report "Genetically Engineered Crops: Experiences and Prospects," summarizing scientific consensus on genetically engineered crops and their implications. NASEM reports aim to give the public and policymakers information on socially relevant science issues. Their impact, however, is not well understood. This analysis combines national pre- and post-rep…
Distinguishing scientific knowledge
The impact of knowledge on public attitudes toward scientific issues remains unclear, due in part to ill-defined differences in how research designs conceptualize knowledge. Using genetically modified foods as a framework, we explore the impacts of perceived familiarity and factual knowledge, and the moderating roles of media attention and a food-specific attitudinal variable (food consciousness), in shaping these relationships. Based on the diff…
Seeing through risk-colored glasses
Deference and decision-making in science and society
Deference to scientific authority theoretically captures the belief that scientists and not publics should make decisions on science in society. Few studies examine deference, however, and none test this central theoretical claim. The result is deference is often conflated with concepts such as trust in scientists and belief in the authority of science. This study examines two claims key to conceptualizing deference: that deference (1) predicts a…
Enhanced threat or therapeutic benefit? Risk and benefit perceptions of human gene editing by purpose and heritability of edits
Public discourse and deliberation are key to developing socially responsible and acceptable human gene editing research and applications. Researchers have raised concerns, however, that discourse about heritable gene edits, especially for non-therapeutic (or enhancement) purposes, might negatively bias public opinion of applications, including non-heritable edits to cure or prevent disease. Yet limited research exists examining how information ab…
The state of GMOs on social media
This study analyzes the relationship between state-level variables and Twitter discourse on genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Using geographically identified tweets related to GMOs, we examined how the sentiments expressed about GMOs related to education levels, news coverage, proportion of rural and urban counties, state-level political ideology, amount of GMO-related legislation introduced, and agricultural dependence of each U.S. state. S…
Polarized platforms? How partisanship shapes perceptions of “algorithmic news bias”
The use of artificial intelligence-based algorithms for the curation of news content by social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter has upended the gatekeeping role long held by traditional news outlets. This has caused some US policymakers to argue that platforms are skewing news diets against them, and such claims are beginning to take hold among some voters. In a nationally representative survey experiment, we explore whether traditional …
Media Systems and Attention Cycles
We examined initial newspaper coverage of the COVID-19 outbreak (January–May 2020) in the United States and China, countries with contrasting media systems and pandemic experiences. We join the context-rich media systems literature and the longitudinal nature of the issue-attention literature to expand each by providing more system-level context for explaining how media cover an issue over time. U.S. coverage peaked later and stayed consistently …
Examining expertise
Scientific experts can play an important role in decision-making surrounding policy for technical and value-laden issues, often in contexts that directly affect lay publics. Yet little is known about what characterizes scientific experts who want lay public involvement in decision-making. In this study, we examine how synthetic biology experts’ perceptions of risks, benefits, and ambivalence for synthetic biology relate to views of lay publics, d…
Examining subjective leisure experiences and well-being amongst university students during Covid-19
There are many claims in scholarship about the associations between leisure and well-being. However, empirical research is needed to disentangle various conceptualizations and operationalizations of the concepts. This study tested nuanced associations between various indicators of leisure and well-being among a sample of emerging adults (n = 2,537). This study occurred early during the COVID-19 pandemic and indicators accounted for the context of…
Storytelling in Science Film
To explore narrative engagement’s impacts on science communication, we examine a representative sample of U.S. adults randomly assigned to watch one of the four short documentary science films. Our results indicate that narrative engagement—feeling connected to the story world and identifying with characters—predicts a wide range of outcomes relevant to engagement and learning: greater knowledge gain and perceived knowledge and interest, perceivi…
Escaping Inequity
In this design‐based research study, in‐service educators participated in a grant‐funded professional development (PD) project to increase district capacity for multilingual learner instruction. Initial data indicated teacher comfort with technology but difficulty tailoring it to the unique multiliterate practices of culturally and linguistically diverse students. Based on teachers' needs and a departmental goal, a modification of a digital escap…
Forming Relationships With Scientists Through Film
Drawing on open-ended responses from a national U.S. survey ( N = 630) of viewers of Observer , a documentary film featuring scientists engaged in practices of observation, we examine how audiences explained trust, identification, and perceived value alignment with the film’s characters, most of whom were explicitly identified as scientists. Participants most often cited relational and affective qualities—curiosity, authenticity, attentiveness, a…
Measuring Science Literacy in a Digital World
We present a new multilingual 14-item scale for measuring science literacy in survey and experimental research. The scale captures three essential dimensions of science literacy in a digital world: civic science literacy, science media literacy, and cognitive science literacy. We developed, tested, and validated the scale through two preregistered national quota surveys in Switzerland and the United States in four languages (English, German, Fren…
Political science (12 works) · Sociology (11 works) · Climate Change Communication and Perception (9 works) · Psychology (9 works) · Law (7 works) · Politics (7 works) · Computer Science (6 works) · Social Psychology (5 works) · Perception (4 works) · Risk Perception and Management (4 works)